Little Richard - Hardcover

by David Kirby (Author)

A brilliant new biography of the extraordinary, outrageous performer who helped open the floodgates of Rock 'n' Roll. In June, 2007, Little Richard's 1955 Specialty Records single, "Tutti Frutti," topped Mojo magazine's list of "100 Records That Changed the World." But back in the early 1950s, nobody gave Little Richard a second glance. It was a time in America where the black and white worlds had co-existed separately for nearly two centuries. After "Tutti Frutti," Little Richard began garnering fans from both sides of the civil rights divide. He brought black and white youngsters together on the dance floor and even helped to transform race relations.

Little Richard: The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll begins by grounding the reader in the fertile soil from which Little Richard's music sprang. In Macon, Georgia, David Kirby interviews relatives and local characters, who knew Little Richard way back when, citing church and family as his true inspiration. His antics began as early as grade school, performing for his classmates every time the teacher would leave the room, connecting to an age-old American show biz tradition of charade and flummery. On the road, Little Richard faced competition from his peers, honing his stage show and making it, too, an act that could not be counterfeited.

Author Biography

David Kirby is the Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of English at Florida State University and lives in Tallahassee, Florida. Among his thirty books is The House on Boulevard St.: New and Selected Poems (Louisiana State University Press, 2007), which was a finalist for the 2007 National Book Award. He has written on music for The Chicago Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, The New York Times Book Review, TriQuarterly, The Washington Post, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Georgia Music, and others. For more information, visit www.davidkirby.com.